Traditionally, agricultural products such as hay, grain, silage, field crops and the like have been stored in covered structures. Barns, sheds, silos and other permanent structures erected near the fields in which the crops were grown are typically utilized for such purposes.
These permanent structures are generally weatherproof and provide secure storage for agricultural products, but several drawbacks exist in their use. In addition to the relatively high costs of constructing and maintaining these structures, specialized equipment is often required to load or unload agricultural products therefrom. Considerable labor is involved in handling and transporting the agricultural products between the fields and fixed storage facilities. In the case of crop rotation, for instance, a crop grown in a particular field may later be used to feed livestock grazing in that field. The use of remotely located storage structures thus involves unnecessary handling of the agricultural products, which is both time-consuming and expensive in terms of labor. Additionally, permanent storage structures are not generally sealed or airtight, contributing to shrinkage, spoilage and losses in nutritional value of the products stored therein.
More recently, temporary structures have been developed for storing agricultural products in the field. For example, long plastic bags have been used in conjunction with loader devices for in-field storage of agricultural products in the manner of horizontal silos, thereby eliminating the need for permanent storage facilities and the expenses associated therewith. These storage bags are generally not reusable, and are usually comprised of an inner liner and one or more outer layers up to 120 feet or more in length. Such plastic storage bags can be tightly sealed to reduce oxidation and thus preserve nutritional value of the agricultural products.
Heretofore, however, the construction of such bags has been a relatively complicated and costly process. There is thus a need for a novel method and apparatus for manufacturing agricultural storage bags with greater efficiency and at lower costs.